Commodity-cabinet.



UNITED STATES IJATEN T OFFICE.

JAMES lI. BOYE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BOYE NEEDLE CLUWVANY, OF CHICAGO, lLLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF lLLlNOlH.

COI\IMODITYCABINE T.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Application filed September 3D, 1908. Serial No. 455,496.

To all whom fit may concern.'

Be it known that I, Janus ll. Born, u citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ot' Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Commodity-Oabinets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to cabi nets adapted for use in stores for the purpose of containing packages of needles or other small articles ot' merchandise; and

the primary object of my invention is to pro! vte a cabinet of simple and cheap constructi well adapted to the purpose of storing small articles of merchandise in such manner as to enable sales-clerks to dispense the same with facility and with little liability to mistake.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved commodity cabinet; Fig. 2, a longi tudinal sectional view taken as indicated at line 2 of F ig. 1; F ig. 3, a transverse scctional view taken as indicated at line 3 of Fi 2; and Fig. et, a perspective view of a sli able commodity receptacle contained in the casing of the machine and provided with compartments for receiving the needle packages, or other small articles of merchandise.

In the construction illustrated, A represents a casing rectangular in form; and B, a slidable receptacle contained in said casing.

The casing A is of boxsform, 1 representing the front side thereof, and 2, the top thereof. The front side of the casing is provided with a longitudinally disposed slot 3 through which the stem of the knob for operating the rece tacle B extends. The ends of the slot 3 are ocated approximately at equal distances from the ends of the casing. The casing-top is provided centrally with a transverse slot 4 guarded by a closure 5. The closure 5 is shiftable laterally with relation to itself and longitudinally1 with relation to the casing in guldes 6. The closure comprises a comparatively thin member whose top surface is arranged substantially flush with the top surface of the casing-top 2, the casing-top being recessed or cut away adjacent to the slot L1, as indicated at 7, to permit the closure 5 to be shifted, or moved to the open position. The casing-top is equipped with a. plunger S having a. head Si at its upper end and having a pointed lower extremity. The plunger H is contained in a suitable socket, in which is contained also a. spring 10 which normally holds the plunger elevated. The upper surface of the head Si of the plunger is rounded or beveled, and the closure 5 is equipped with a beveled surface 11 adapted to impinge upon the head of the plunger 8 and force it down so as to lock the receptacle B against movement when the closure is thrown to the open position.

The receptacle B comprises a rectangular box having an open top and having division walls 12 extending from the front side to thc rear side of the boX. Extending across the walls 12 are shiftable division plates 13 slotted from their bottom edges to near their tops to fit over the walls or division plates 12. At the ends of the plates 13 are extensions 14 having laterally turned flanges 15 which rest upon the upper edges of the ends of the receptacle. The flanges 15 at the opposite ends of each plate 13 are turned in opposite directions, whereby the division plates 13 are maintained in vertical position. It will thus beunderstood that the receptacle B is divided into rectangular chambers or compartments, 16, adapted to receive packages of needles or other small articles of merchandise. Where the device is employed for containino packages of needles, the needle packages igor each style of machine may be placed in the compartments which are in alinement from front to rear of the receptacle, the compartments of each set of compartments serving to receive needles of dierent sizes.

The front Wall of the receptacle B is equipped with a stud 17 which projects through the slot 3 in the front wal of the casing and is equipped with an operating knob 18. The stud 17 is equipped outside the casing with a pointer 19 which lies ad'- jacent to the outer surface of the casing front. The casing front is provided with a corresponding dial or indicator 20, composed of horizontally alined characters adapted to indicate the contents of the compartments of the receptacle B. In the illustration iven, the dial 20 is composed of the capital etters A, B, O, D, E, F and G. On the casing-top 2 is placed a schedule 21 giving the names of the sewing machines corresponding to the eled head of the plunger characters on the dial Q0. The upper edge of the front wall of the receptacle B is provided with V-shaped notches or recesses 22 adapted to eo-aet with the pointed lower end of the plunger or catch 8, so that the receptzu-le` Il will be automatically locked in any position in which it may be preparatorily set when the elosure 5 is thrown open. In practice. the receptacle B is of approximately one-half the length 0f the casing A, being, in the illustration given, a little more than one-halt` the length of the casing A.

From the foregoing description, the manner of use of my improved commodity cabinet will be readily understood. Assuming the device to be arranged for storing and dispensing packages of sewing machine needles, the needles are arranged in their proper compartments. The several sizes of needles for the Domestic machine are ar ranged in the compartments at the righthand end of the receptacle, viewed as shown in F ig. 4; the several sizes of needles for the Household machine are arranged in the next row of compartments, etc. When a salesman receives a call for needles for any particular machine, he moves the receptacle B through the medium of the knob 18 until the indexpointer 19 registers with the letter of the index Q0 which corresponds with the name of the machine on the list 2l. The salesman then moves the closure 5 to the open position. in which movement the beveled surface l1 of the closure rides upon the bev- 8 and causes the plunger to lockingly engage the corresponding notch 29. of the receptacle B, thereby locking the receptacle against movement while the closure is in the open position. l Thus, provision is made against accidental movement of the receptacle, and liability to l error is obviated.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no undue limitation should be understood therefrom.

What l regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A commodity cabinet comprising an elongated rectangular casing having its t0 i provided with a central transverse han opening and having its front provided with a central horizontally disposed slot, an index adjacent to said slot, a relatively short boxform recelitacle within said casing equipped. with a stud projecting through said slot, an index-pointer carried by said stud and coacting with said index, a closure for said hand-opening, and locking means for said receptacle operative to lock the receptacle when said closure is thrown to the open posi tion.

2. A commodity cabinet comprising a rectangular casing having its top provided with 'a transverse hand-opening and having its front provided with a slot, a slidable receptacle Within said casing provided with a series of locking shoulders, a stud connected with said receptacle and projecting through said slot, an index-pointer carried by s stud, an index on the casing-front adjac to said slot and co-acting with said pointer, a slidable closure guarding said hand-opening, and a locking device actuated by said closure and co-actin with the locking shoulders of said receptac e.

3. In a commodity cabinet, the combination with a rectangular casing, of a slidable box-form receptacle in said casing equipped with operating means extending through the casing, division plates in said receptacle eX- tending from the front Wall thereof to the rear Wall thereof, and a shiftable division plate having slots receiving said tiret-named division plates and having flanges bearing upon the upper edges of the ends of said box-form receptacle.

JAMES H. BOYE.

In presence of- K. M. CoRNwALL, R. A. SCHAEFER. 

